


A Freaky Situation

by Onthecyberseas



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bodyswap, F/F, Freaky Friday References, Injury, M/M, Revelations, Starts With Clace and Sizzy Before Endgame Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 19:41:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14003256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onthecyberseas/pseuds/Onthecyberseas
Summary: A demon swaps Izzy and Jace's bodies, forcing them to admit hidden truths.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta @atswim-twocows and my artist @ijustreallylikechemistry on all of their help.

Izzy’s head was spinning as she woke up, she wasn’t in her bed or Simon’s. Sitting up, she made out the details of Jace’s room at the Institute and noticed that Clary was sleeping next to her. She grabbed the phone on the side of the bed...the lockscreen was of Jace and Clary. She didn’t know Jace’s passcode but the phone opened when she pressed her thumb to his phone. She noticed hands then, a little freaked out that they weren’t her own. Pulling up the front-facing camera, she was greeted by Jace’s face, not her own. She fought back a scream, not wanting to wake up the sleeping redhead next to her.

“Morning Jace,” Clary said sleepily, smiling as she sat up. Izzy didn’t smile back as she tried to figure out how she ended up in this situation. Her mind flashed to the demon she and Jace had fought together last night. Despite a weird incantation, there hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary after they’d killed the demon. In fact, She’d arrived at Simon’s warehouse relatively unscathed and had fallen asleep not long after. However, she couldn’t deny the evidence in front of her. Then she remembered the weird incantation and concluded that the demon had swapped her body with Jace’s.

“What’s wrong?” Clary asked, concerned. Izzy couldn’t bring herself to look at her as she felt a light flush fill her, or Jace’s, cheeks.

A part of her considered telling Clary the truth, they both knew about Magnus’ switch with Valentine a year ago. However, she decided against it. If she and Jace went straight to Magnus, he would know how to switch them back and nobody would suspect a thing. Clary had been through so much over the past couple of years that Izzy didn’t want to stress her out more. Izzy cleared her throat.

“Nothing...babe. I need to go. I promised Magnus I would meet him about Alec’s surprise party.” It wasn’t a complete lie, Magnus had asked for her help with a surprise party a week ago.

Clary nodded. “Lunch date?”

“Absolutely.”

Before she could move away, Clary leaned over and kissed her...Jace’s lips. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she found that she couldn’t pull away. Clary pulled away and Izzy groaned as she looked down at Jace’s pants, disturbed to both see and feel how much she enjoyed the kiss. One of the downsides of being a boy. Izzy quickly rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom, knowing that she needed a very, very cold shower before she could go anywhere. Being in love with Simon didn’t make her any less curious and she’d always been attracted to Clary and had wondered a few times, what it would be like to kiss her. Now she knew. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jace groaned as the sunlight streamed through the window. He rolled over to kiss Clary, and screamed when he saw Simon lying next to him. Simon jumped and said, “Izzy! What!? What is it?! Is there something on me?!”

“I’m not…” Jace said, before he looked around and took in his surroundings. He was not in his room, this was Simon’s warehouse. He thought back to last night, struggling to figure out how he got there. “How much did I drink last night?” He asked, not being able to think of another explanation.

Simon looked strangely at him. “You seemed pretty sober when we went to bed last night.”

It was when he looked down that everything clicked. He was in Izzy’s body. He remembered the demon from last night, and the incantation it had muttered as he and Izzy cornered it. That must have been what swapped their bodies this morning.

“Are you okay, Iz?” Simon asked, with a look of concern..

Jace quickly replied, “I-I’m fine.” He decided not to tell Simon the truth and risk making things any more awkward than they already were.

He jumped as the phone on his side of the bed rang. He recognized it as Izzy’s and saw his own name on the caller ID. He froze as the strangeness of the situation fully dawned on him. 

“Hey, Iz...Jace,” he stumbled when he finally answered.

“Meet me at Magnus’ loft in thirty minutes,” his own voice said back to him. A part of him wondered if this was just a weird dream that he would eventually wake up from.

He thought about when Magnus had gone through the same thing last year. If anyone knew how to switch them back, it would be Magnus. 

“Got it,” he said. Simon was still staring curiously at him..

“Jace,” Izzy said on the other end, “If anyone asks, we’re going over to plan Alec’s surprise party.”

“See you soon, Jace.” he hung up and fed Simon the cover story. Thankfully, he bought it. 

After going back and forth looking through the clothes Izzy had there, he settled on a simple tank and leggings combo, and got dressed. He avoided looking in the mirror, already uncomfortable being in his little sister’s body, he didn’t want to have to see it as well.

Once satisfied, he dodged a kiss and instead said a quick goodbye to Simon. He ran to Magnus’ loft, avoiding eye contact as he maneuvered the streets. Though he was tempted to retaliate at the catcalls he received, he stayed focused on his destination.

Jace arrived at the loft and found himself...Izzy, waiting for him outside. 

“This is so weird,” she said, giving her own body a thorough look.

“Tell me about it,” Jace replied, shaken by the wrongness of seeing his face looking at him and talking to him in his own voice.

They made their way up to Magnus’ loft and Jace rapped on the door.. Both hoping he could solve their problem quickly and get everything back to normal

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door swung open and Magnus Bane looked bewildered to see them there. “Good morning,” he said, a beaming smile on his face as he ruffled his hair. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having the Shadowhunter brigade here so early in the morning?”

“Do you remember when Azazel switched you with Valentine?” Jace asked, decided to get right to the point.

Magnus tensed at the memory and Izzy felt bad for him, knowing how painful that time was for him. “I try not to,” Magnus said with a shudder.

“We’re sorry for bringing it up,” Izzy said, “But we think that Jace and I are going through the same thing.”

Looking between the two of them, Magnus nodded. “I see.” He gestured them inside and Izzy and Jace followed him.

They saw Alec drinking coffee at the table and he gave them a small wave. They explained the situation to him, and he looked between them in shock. “Well if anyone can switch you back, it’s Magnus,” Alec said with a smile as he glanced over at his boyfriend. “How did Clary and Simon take the news?”

“We didn’t tell them,” Izzy explained, “What’s the use in them worrying if we can fix it quickly.”

Alec nodded in understanding. Magnus refreshed his memory of the necessary spell as he summoned one of his spellbooks. Alec poured Jace and Izzy some coffee as Magnus prepared the spell.

When it came time to perform the spell, Magnus, Izzy, and Jace stood in the center of the loft. Magnus performed the spell, but nothing happened. He tried again and nothing happened. “It worked last time,” Magnus said, his brow furrowing in frustration. “Why isn’t it working?”

After a couple of attempts and a rereading of his spellbook, Magnus gave up. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Jace and Izzy looked at each other with matching terrified expressions. “Is there another way?” Jace asked.

“There has to be,” Magnus said, “I’m sure of it.” He looked between them. “I promise to do everything in my power to find the solution.”

Both of them nodded, but they were filled with dread. They were stuck like this for the foreseeable future, and neither of them looked forward to spending a prolonged amount of time in the other’s body. They also had to tell Clary and Simon, and they had no idea how they would react to the situation.

Izzy thanked Magnus for his attempts and she walked out of the loft with Jace. “We’re screwed,” Jace declared.

She simply nodded, dreading the talk she knew she could no longer avoid having with Clary.


	2. Chapter 2

Izzy kept her eyes glued to the door as she waited for Clary. Not many people were in the Jade Wolf, and Izzy was relieved. Her nerves over telling Clary the truth prohibited her from thinking about anything else. She nearly jumped when the bell rang at the front door and was relieved to see that Clary had finally arrived. Clary smiled at her...Jace, as she made her way over to the booth and slid in across from her. 

“How was your morning?” Izzy asked, trying to find a way to segue into the conversation.

Clary shrugged. “Pretty boring. You?”

Izzy laughed and said, “Definitely not boring.” As she saw Clary’s curious expression, Izzy decided to just break the news. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Should I be worried?” Clary asked, her eyes searching her “boyfriend’s” face.

Taking a deep breath, Izzy said, “Do you remember when Magnus and Valentine switched bodies?” Clary nodded. “I’m not Jace, Clary,” Izzy said, “I’m Izzy.”

Silence followed for the next few moments as Clary just gaped at her. Izzy fidgeted uncomfortably at the beautiful eyes studying her intently, trying to make sense of the revelation. After what felt like an eternity, Clary’s eyes lit up in recognition. A couple of moments later, she asked, “Were you...were you Izzy this morning?”

Izzy blushed as she thought back to the kiss she and Clary had shared this morning and the way Jace’s body had reacted to it. Slowly, she nodded and said, “Yes, I was.” She saw Clary’s eyes widened and added, “But I didn’t mean to deceive you. I’m really sorry about that. I figured if Jace and I went to Magnus he could switch us back without anyone knowing.” She noticed that Clary was still staring at her with an unreadable expression. “Please say something.”

“I’m not mad,” Clary said finally, “If that’s what you’re worried about.” Izzy nearly breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s just...I don’t know how to feel about all of this.”

“I’m sorry,” Izzy said again, feeling that it was necessary despite Clary’s assurance that she wasn’t mad.

Clary asked, “Why didn’t the switch work? It worked for Magnus and Valentine.”

Izzy shrugged. “Not even Magnus knows. But he promised to help us find another solution.”

“I’ll help,” Clary said, reaching her hand out to touch Izzy’s. Upon realizing it, she pulled her hand back. “Sorry, it’s a habit.”  
Izzy nodded. “I understand.” However, she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed by Clary pulling her hand away. “Thank you.”

They decided to order lunch while they were there, and settled on their usual orders. Once the awkwardness was out of the way, Clary seemed more comfortable and asked Izzy what it was like to be in Jace’s body. 

“It’s weird,” Izzy admitted, “I’m still me, but now I’m seeing the world through the eyes of Jace. I can only imagine how Jace is doing.”

Clary laughed. “He’s probably having a harder time than you.” Izzy was tempted to argue, but she knew that Clary was probably right and simply nodded.

After they finished their lunch, Izzy paid and they made their way back to the institute to see if there was any research that could be done. Both Clary and Izzy gathered an armful of books and sat down at a table to research.

As the hours ticked by, Izzy was getting more and more frustrated. It seemed that nobody had ever experienced this before, or at least had never written about it. The few resources that did talk about it, recommended the spell that Magnus had already tried. “Did you find anything?” Izzy asked Clary, who was reading a boring looking book about the history of downworlder magic.

Clary shook her head. “Nothing.”

Izzy cursed at the idea of having to spend another night in Jace’s body, but she knew that she had no other option. “We should call it a day,” Izzy said, “See if we can find a solution tomorrow.”

“Good idea,” Clary agreed.

“Thanks for agreeing to help,” Izzy said.

Clary smiled. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

Izzy nodded but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the word “friend.” She thankfully didn’t have too much to dwell on it, as she and Clary were called to examine a potential demon attack. They met Jace and Simon at the crime scene, but Izzy didn’t have time to ask how the conversation between them had gone. However, by the way Simon kept his distance from Jace, she assumed that Jace had talked to him and she had a pretty good idea of how the conversation had gone.

“How are you holding up?” She asked Simon once they got a moment to themselves.

Simon tensed. “It’ll all be over soon,” he said with a small smile. “I can’t wait to kiss you again.”

She nodded, hoping that Simon was right. Though she was tempted to kiss him, she knew that he would only see Jace and not her. Glancing over at Clary, she watched as she talked to Jace. It was weird seeing herself flirt with Clary, and Izzy found herself growing slightly jealous at the sight. How could that be? She loved Simon and was happy with him. It must be a residual effect of the body swap, it had to be. Thankfully, she didn’t have much time to dwell on it as they began their investigation of the attack.

Once they gathered all of the information they could from the crime scene, everyone went their separate ways. Izzy crawled into her old bed for the evening, as she dreaded the idea of sharing a bed with Clary for the evening. She refused to allow herself to think about why she detested the idea so much. All she allowed herself to focus on was finding a solution to her and Jace’s situation so that things would be back to normal and this would end up being a story they laughed about several years down the line.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jace knocked on the door to the warehouse. “Simon, it’s me,” said doing her best Izzy impression. He didn’t know why he felt he needed to impersonate Izzy, after all he was here to tell Simon the truth.

The door opened and Simon greeted him with a beaming smile. Simon leaned in to kiss him, but Jace pushed him off. “Simon, we need to talk.”

“That’s never a good sign,” Simon joked. Jace followed him inside and sat down on a chair. Simon sat across from him with a look of concern on his face. “What is it, Iz?”

Studying Simon’s face, Jace could easily see how Izzy had fallen for him. Once they had stopped fighting over Clary, Jace had come to see Simon as a good friend. He was smart, attractive, funny, talented, and perfect for Izzy.

“Izzy?” Simon asked, with a worried expression darkening his features.

Jace took a deep breath, deciding to get right to the point. “That’s the thing, Simon,” he said, “I’m not Izzy. I’m Jace.”

Simon looked at him like he had grown two heads. Then, his face turned to understanding as the wheels turned in his head. “Is this like Magnus and Valentine?” Jace nodded, and Simon added, “But you can reverse that?”

“Magnus already tried,” Jace explained, “It didn’t work.”

He remained silent as Simon processed the information. “This morning…you were….were you going to tell me?”

Jace shook his head. “Izzy and I thought we wouldn’t have to if we could fix it this morning.”

“You should have said something,” Simon said angrily.

Jace nodded. “I’m sorry.” He reached out to comfort Simon, but Simon pulled away from him.

Simon looked over at him with a slightly hurt expression. “Can you leave? I think I need to be alone.”

Jace nodded in understanding. “Yeah, sure.” He got up and left Simon to his own thoughts. Once he was out of the warehouse, he debated calling Clary. However, he had no idea how Clary was taking the news and whether she would want to see him at the moment. He decided to do a little research of his own and went to see if there was anything in the Institute’s database about his and Izzy’s problem, but gave up after a while. All he could hope was that Magnus could help them find a solution.

That evening, he was called to a crime scene. He was grateful for the distraction. Unfortunately, Simon, Clary, and Izzy were all there. Simon still seemed hesitant to talk to him, but thankfully Clary wasn’t. “How are you?”

“I’ve been researching with Izzy all day,” she said. Jace felt terrible for not being more helpful in his research. “What about you?”

Jace forced a fake smile. “I’m having the time of my life,” he replied sarcastically.

“Is Simon mad?” Clary asked. 

Jace glanced over at Simon who was talking to Izzy. “I think so. Though it’s not like I kissed him.”

Clary looked uncomfortable. “I kissed Izzy,” she admitted, “When I thought she was you.”

“It’s okay,” Jace assured her, “You didn’t know.” He glanced over at Simon, who was talking to Izzy and was clearly still struggling with all of this. “I just hope that this gets fixed soon.”

She nodded in agreement and the team refocused on their case. Jace couldn’t focus on what Alec was saying as he kept glancing over at Simon. He couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that Simon was avoiding his eyes, but he didn’t know why it bothered him so much.

Thankfully, the investigation didn’t take too long and Jace followed Izzy and Clary back to the Institute. As he climbed into his bed, he realized that it had been quite some time that he had slept in it alone. However, he was more preoccupied with the way Simon had looked at him when he found out the truth. He resolved to find a way to make it up to him the next day, and finally fell asleep not long after.


	3. Chapter 3

Jace woke up the next morning in a cold sweat and made his way outside of the Institute to get some fresh air and clear his head. His night had been fraught with a particularly unsettling nightmare. Valentine had infiltrated the institute and had grinned at him with an ominous smile as soon as they came face to face. “What do you want?” His dream self had asked, gritting his teeth at the person who had made his life hell for years.

Valentine continued smiling and Jace couldn’t help but admire his dream self’s ability to not leap towards him and try to attack him. “Just admiring my work, Isabelle.”

He had sputtered in confusion until he looked down and saw that his dream self was also in Izzy’s body. Jace continued to glare at him, feeling his rage bubbling over. It wasn’t until Valentine said, “I hope you get comfortable, Jace,” that Jace finally broke his resolve and lunged towards him. Valentine had disappeared into thin air when Jace had attempted to strike him, and Jace woke up in a cold sweat.

Once he had woken up, he glanced downwards and cursed when he saw that he was still in Izzy’s body. He wasn’t surprised, he knew that it wasn’t going to be fixed overnight. Though he was shaken by the dream, he knew that there was no chance it could be real in any way. After all, the last time he had seen Valentine was as a corpse. There was no way Valentine could be responsible for his current predicament, though he wouldn’t put it past one of his more loyal circle members to want vengeance for the death of their leader. Even if that were the cause, this would be a very unusual way to get revenge.

As he made his way outside, Jace was surprised to find Simon sitting on a bench. Simon looked up as he walked over and said, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Jace replied gruffly. He gestured towards the door he had just walked out of and said, “Izzy’s inside.”

Simon shook his head. “I’m actually here to see you.” Jace gaped at him and Simon explained, “I’m here to apologize for how I reacted. I know you didn’t intend to deceive Clary and I, but I was so shocked that I lashed out. I’m really sorry, Jace.”

Jace couldn’t help but smile. “It’s fine,” he said, “I probably would have reacted the same way.”

“Any plans for the day?” Simon asked. “I can help research if you want.”

Jace nodded, figuring that he and Izzy could use all of the help they can get. “Thank you,” he said before inviting him inside the Institute.

With no new leads on the demon attack, both Izzy and Jace were able to spend the day throwing themselves fully into researching. They resolved to work together, spending hours poring over old texts that lined the shelves of the Institute’s library. Thankfully, the research was much less of a daunting task with both Clary and Simon’s help. Even Alec stopped by and helped out for a couple of hours after they returned from a quick lunch.

As the sun started to set, Jace felt his frustration with the lack of results and he could tell Izzy was frustrated as well. Clary thankfully seemed to sense the frustration and said, “Let’s call it a day.” She shut her book and the rest of the group followed suit.

“Dinner on me?” Izzy asked, despite still frowning down at the book in front of her. The group eagerly agreed and they decided to head over to a mundane restaurant in town. They tried to avoid talking about their predicament, talking as though everything was normal.

In the middle of dinner, Simon nearly startled everyone as he jumped in excitement. “Of course, why didn’t I think of it earlier?” The table stared at him and he suggested, “Maybe we’re looking at this problem the wrong way?”

Alec frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“We spent the entire day approaching the problem from the perspective of downworlders,” Simon began, “What if we need to approach it from a more mundane perspective?”

Clary seemed to be the only one who had any inkling of what Simon was talking about. Her eyes lit up and asked, “Freaky Friday?” Jace had no clue what they were talking about, but knowing Simon, a movie or song was probably involved.

Simon nodded, but the rest of the table just stared at them. “There’s a whole genre of mundane movies where two totally different people swap bodies with each other for a variety of reasons,” Simon explained. “Maybe we can find a possible solution in one of those.”

“But we’re not mundanes,” Alec argued, “We just have to keep digging.”

Jace jumped in and said, “Yeah, but we could all use a break from reading.” He noticed Simon smile over at him and he added, “What’s a movie night going to hurt?”

“I agree with Jace,” Clary said, smiling over at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Izzy frown at the exchange. If he didn’t know any better, he would think Izzy was jealous. However, he didn’t understand why that would be and assumed that he must be imagining things.

Izzy and Alec finally agreed as well and Alec texted Magnus to invite him. They finished with dinner and Izzy took care of the check. The group headed over to the warehouse to settle in for the evening. Simon opened up his cabinet with a incredibly large selection of mundane movies and pulled out a copy of a movie called Freaky Friday.

“What demon did this to them?” Izzy asked as she glanced down at the cover with a teenage girl and presumably her mother wearing the other’s clothes.

Clary replied with a wink, “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She and Izzy went to get them some popcorn and Magnus arrived moments later with some snacks of his own. Once they were all settled around the television, Simon started the movie and took a seat between Jace and Alec.

Jace watched the movie with great interest. It appeared to be a comedy, but Jace didn’t find it very funny. Maybe if the people involved in making the movie knew what switching bodies was really like, they wouldn’t find it very funny either. He focused carefully, hoping to see what the mundanes thought would be a solution to the problem.

He glanced over at his friends and family to gauge their reactions. Magnus and Alec had already gravitated towards each other on the couch. Clary had her head on Izzy’s shoulder, and for some unknown reason Izzy looked uncomfortable with it. Simon kept glancing at him with a mixture of hopeful and some other expression at various times during the movie.

At the end, the mother and daughter finally switched back after they finally understood the other’s predicament. Jace didn’t understand how that would help in his situation. He and Izzy weren’t at odds and he figured that they understood each other pretty well, or at least enough that switching bodies would be too drastic to fix any minor disputes the two had.

As the credits rolled, Simon got up and turned the lights back on. “Interesting,” Magnus said as he removed his arms from around Alec. “Very illuminating.”

Jace looked curiously at him. It wasn’t a bad movie, but he didn’t see how it would illuminate their predicament in any way. “How?”

Izzy spoke up, seeming to be working a theory out in her head. “Maybe the solution isn’t magical, but it’s more about self-realization.”

“Self realization of what?” Jace asked, rolling his eyes at the philosophical suggestion.

She shrugged, but Jace could tell that she was trying to act nonchalant. “I guess we would have to find out.”

Magnus stood up and said, “I’ll see what I can find. Thanks for having me over, Simon. It’s always a pleasure.”

Alec stood up and said, “Can I come with you?”

“Of course, Alexander,” Magnus said with a grin, pecking his boyfriend on the lips. It had been an adjustment at first, seeing them kiss, but Jace had gotten used to it over time. He was happy that Alec was happy, no matter what gender he loved.

The rest of the group said goodbye as Alec and Magnus left for the loft. They decided to help Simon clean-up before heading back to the Institute. Though Jace doubted Izzy’s suggestion of self-realization, he hoped that it would help them lead to the true solution sooner.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izzy couldn’t sleep that night, the movie and the feel of Clary’s head on her shoulder replaying in her mind. She and Clary had always been close since they had first met at the Institute, but lately the closeness was getting too much for her. She kept imagining the feel of Clary’s lips on hers that first morning that she had discovered the switch, remembering the cold shower she had been forced to take. Initially, she had thought that it was a one-time thing, an involuntary reaction from Jace’s body. However, many moments since then continued to prove her wrong. 

It wasn’t always as pronounced as the first morning, but her body seemed to always shudder and her heart always seemed to do backflips when Clary touched her, involuntarily or not. She didn’t understand it. Sure, she had always thought that Clary was attractive and she identified as pansexual, but Clary had always been Jace’s girl, even when they had been separated by the lie of Jace’s true parentage.

However, the movie that Simon had made them watch had given her an idea. Perhaps her and Jace’s curse came with conditions and the only way to switch back were to meet them. That’s when she had the idea that the solution involved self-realization. Since it was clear that she wasn’t getting much, if any sleep that night, she figured she would put her mind to figuring out what about herself she needed to realize.

It had taken a couple of hours, but Izzy figured out that Clary must be the key. After all, why would she have been placed in the body of Clary’s boyfriend and forced to spend a lot of time with Clary if it didn’t involve her somehow? It was then that she figured that the universe was encouraging her to admit that her feelings for Clary went far beyond friendship.

The idea terrified her. It scared her how little she had thought of Simon since the switch, at least compared to Clary. He was her boyfriend and she truly did care for him, but she felt herself pulling away. She started to wonder if she and Simon worked better as friends. Though Izzy would feel terrible about breaking his heart, she knew that he was quite a catch and would land on his feet pretty quickly with a bevy of potential suitors. The problem would be with her, after all Clary was still Jace’s girlfriend and Izzy doubted that her feelings for him had changed through any of this.

Still, she couldn’t deny that she wanted Jace’s girl. It sounded like a mundane song she had heard once, but it didn’t make it any less true. However, she knew what she had to do. Her self-realization would mean nothing if she didn’t say it out loud. She had to tell Clary the truth, no matter how much her rejection would hurt. Once she said it, hopefully the truth would set her free...or at least send her back to her own body. It would probably be best to end things with Simon as well, regardless of whether Clary returned her feelings or not. She saw how hard he had taken the revelation that Clary was still in love with Jace when they were dating, and Izzy didn’t want to hurt him. Though she knew it was going to be painful for both of them, she knew it would be for the best.

As the sunrise streamed through the window, Izzy’s phone buzzed with a text from Magnus to her and Jace asking to meet. She stretched her arms over her head and texted that she would be over in an hour. Hopefully, he had a solution or else she could present her own theory. The walk there and back could also help her plan what she wanted to say to Clary and Simon and emotionally prepare for the necessary conversations that she couldn’t help but dread.


	4. Chapter 4

Izzy arrived at Magnus’ loft an hour later. She felt slightly better, though the lack of sleep was beginning to get to her. Alec let her inside before Izzy could raise her fist to knock. “Morning, Iz.”

“Morning,” Izzy replied, yawning loudly. “Couldn’t sleep,” she explained, “Is Jace here, yet?”

Alec shook his head and Izzy felt relieved. This way she could talk to Magnus about her theory without Jace hearing about her late night revelation. She couldn’t deal with the ensuing drama in addition to their current predicament. Magnus magically slid a mug across the table to her and Izzy thanked him, grateful for the extra caffeine boost.

Magnus looked at her with his piercing eyes as she drank the coffee. “Good morning, Isabelle. What is perplexing you this morning?”

“I have a theory,” she replied. However, before she could elaborate, there was a knock at the door and Jace ran inside. So much for talking about it privately.

Jace was panting as he joined them at the table, having clearly ran here. “Did you find something?”

Magnus smiled and gestured at them to sit down. Once everyone was seated, Magnus showed them the old, dusty volume he had found in his research, flipped open to a page. “I had realized that my initial research was too narrow. I took Isabelle’s theory about self-realization and I found a story of two shadowhunters from several thousand years ago. During a battle, they were bickering intensely. The demon cursed them to switch bodies and nobody could find a way to reverse them. It wasn’t until they both confessed their love for each other that they switched back.” Izzy’s eyes widened at the confirmation that her theory was correct, at least partially.

Jace didn’t seem to notice and said, “But Izzy and I are not in love with each other, she’s like a sister.” Izzy avoided Jace’s eyes, hoping to find a way out of this conversation.

“What was your theory, Isabelle?” Magnus asked, looking at her with a knowing look. She knew that he was very perceptive and had probably already figured out what she was going to say.

Izzy felt Jace’s eyes on her, and she couldn’t bring herself to say what she had really wanted to say. “Something like that,” she said, drinking her coffee.

However, Magnus did not seem interested in letting her walk away from this conversation unscathed. “If the theory ends up being correct, keeping your feelings to yourself isn’t going to help in this situation.”

She knew he was right. Despite feeling Jace’s and Alec’s eyes on her, Izzy tried to focus solely on Magnus, hoping it would go easier if she pretended the others weren’t there. “My theory,” she began, “Does involve me admitting hidden feelings, but not for Jace.”

“For who then?” Jace asked.

Izzy avoided Jace’s eyes, took a deep breath, and confessed the truth. “Clary.”

The room was silent for several moments and Izzy stared at her nearly empty coffee cup, not daring to look at anyone. When she finally regained the courage, she saw that Alec looked stunned, Magnus looked contemplative, and Jace looked furious.

“I see,” Magnus said. “Though I don’t know what that means for Jace.”

She took a cautious look at Jace, and saw that he was glaring at her. Alec was still gaping at her. “I planned to tell her later today,” she said, deciding that it was best to be truthful. “And then I’m going to break up with Simon.”

“What if she doesn’t want you?” Jace asked. “And how could you do that to Simon?”

Izzy explained, “I don’t expect her to feel the same way, but I figured that admitting it would help us switch back. I also figured that Simon and I work better as friends and I don’t want to string him along.” She saw that Jace was still frowning and explained, “Once we switch back, I’m not going to get in the way of you and Clary. She’s still your girlfriend.” And always will be, she thought to herself bitterly. 

She glanced at Jace and saw that he seemed a little relieved. For some reason, it just made her feel worse. It was a selfish feeling, but she knew she had to remain selfless if any of this was going to work out. Alec seemed to notice her struggle and walked over to her. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see that he was giving her a small, supportive smile.

“I’m glad you two worked that out,” Magnus said, “However, I feel that there’s more to it than that.” The three of them focused their attention back to him. “In the previous instance of this spell, it says that both people have to have something to admit that affects the other in some way.” He turned to Jace and asked, “Is there anything you can think of?”

Jace didn’t answer for a few moments, his brow furrowed in concentration. Finally, he shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

Magnus simply nodded. “Alright, then.” He turned to Izzy and said, “You work on your part of the plan and Jace will continue to figure out his part. Hopefully, the spell will break once it’s all taken care of and we can go back to normal...or our version of normal.”  
Both Izzy and Jace thanked him and Alec for their help. Jace said goodbye and left without any further discussion. “Do you need any help, Izzy?” Alec asked.

Izzy was touched by the offer, but shook her head. Thank you,” she said, “But I think I need to do this on my own.” She thanked Magnus and hugged Alec before making her way out the door.

Once she was back on the street, she decided to talk to Simon first. She sent him a text that she was coming over and then texted Clary about wanting to share her theory with her later that afternoon.

She reached the warehouse and Simon opened the door for her. Stepping inside, he lead her to his couch. “What’s up?” he asked. She froze as she looked at his handsome, kind eyes. He looked at her with concern and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“I think I found the solution to my predicament,” she began, “The movie you showed us was very helpful.”

He smiled back at her. “I try to be.”

She nodded and continued, “I realized that the solution requires me to be honest with myself, and I did a lot of thinking last night.”

Simon frowned, and Izzy knew that he understood what was coming. “You want to break up.”

“We’ve always worked better as friends,” she confirmed. His face fell and she instinctively reached for his hand. “It’s not fair to you to try to make this work when I’m being pulled elsewhere.”

“Is there someone else?” Izzy nodded. “Do I know them?” She nodded again. Simon sighed, tears forming in his eyes. “Well, I guess it’s for the best then.”

Izzy was both relieved and confused that he didn’t ask who it was. “You’re not mad?”

“I am,” Simon replied, “But I know you would start resenting me if you stayed with me out of obligation. You deserve to be happy, Iz, and I hope he makes you happy.”

“She,” Izzy couldn’t help but blurt out.

His mouth dropped open and then he quickly closed it. “It’s Clary, isn’t it?”

Izzy nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“I should have seen it coming,” he admitted. He took a deep breath and said, “You deserve to be happy, Izzy.”

She wasn’t sure if he was right, but she replied, “You do as well. I’m really sorry. I hope that we can stay friends...or at least resume our friendship somewhere down the line.”

Simon’s jaw clenched. “Maybe someday.”

Izzy thought about hugging him, but she knew that it would be too soon. Instead, she stood up and said goodbye before leaving. As she pulled out her phone, she saw a text from Clary telling her that Alec found a lead on the demon attack. She made her way to the Institute, knowing that he inevitable conversation she had to have with Clary would have to be delayed until after their investigation.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jace ignored the text he received from Alec. He felt bad for ignoring his shadowhunter duties, but he felt that he would be more of a liability than an asset on the mission in his current state. The revelations of the morning were still spinning in his head, and he was filled with anger. However, he was surprised that he wasn’t too angry at Izzy anymore. As he thought more about it, he didn’t know why he didn’t realize that Izzy had feelings for his girlfriend sooner. He knew that she and Clary were close, but he had thought that it was just a really strong friendship.

Despite the fact that he still loved Clary, he was willing to step aside and move on if that was what Clary wanted. He had plenty of practice pining for her from afar when they had thought that they were siblings, and all he wanted was for her to be happy.

He found himself angry because he was frustrated. Magnus had said that the key to them switching back was for both of them to reveal something. However, Jace didn’t know what his would be. He didn’t have any deep secrets needing to be revealed, and he was going to be stuck in Izzy’s body forever. However, deep down he knew there had to be something or else the switch wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Looking up at the door to Simon’s warehouse, Jace was surprised that his feet seemed to have taken him there as he wandered and mulled over his thoughts. He knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Simon on the other side. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and Jace had no doubt that Izzy had talked to him. “Can I come in?”

Simon nodded and Jace followed him inside. “Izzy broke up with me,” Simon blurted out, rubbing his eyes.

“I know,” Jace confessed. Simon looked at him with a surprised expression and Jace explained the discussion that had happened that morning. “I’m really sorry, Simon,” he said, feeling his heart break for him.

He nodded and said, “It’s for the best, I guess. How are you holding up?”

“I guess I’m fine,” Jace admitted, “I’ve had some time to process it. Whatever makes Clary and Izzy happy, I guess.”

Simon looked curiously at him. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Jace replied.

He looked as though he was trying to figure out a way to phrase the question. “Izzy said that the key was for her to be honest with herself. It would have already worked if it was just her, right?”

Jace shook his head. “I have no freaking clue,” he said, “I can’t think of anything.”

“Want to join me for a movie?” Simon asked and then added, “It’s not for research, I swear.”

Though he briefly thought about the text updating him on the mission, Jace decided not to go. Something told him that he should stay here, that he didn’t want Simon to be alone at the moment. He texted Alec telling him that he wasn’t feeling well and then said, “Sure.”

Simon grinned, and Jace knew that he made the right decision. Simon decided that they should continue their watching of the original Star Wars movie trilogy with The Empire Strikes Back. Once Simon put the movie in they settled onto the couch.

The movie started out pretty enjoyable, the battle on the planet of Hoth was pretty impressive. Luke’s training with Yoda was fun as well, it reminded him slightly of his own training to become a shadowhunter. When Leia, Han, and the droids arrived at Cloud City was when things got interesting. Leia and Han had started the movie bickering but they had fallen in love during the course of the movie. Jace couldn’t help but shed a tear when Han was dragged away to be put in carbonite and Leia declared his love for him. More tears came as Han replied simply with, “I know.” This whole situation was making him more emotional than usual, that’s why the scene was affecting him so much.

The rest of the movie went by in a blur and the reveal of Darth Vader’s true identity barely registered with him. Normally, that final battle would probably be his favorite part, but it was clear that he needed to deal with this situation quickly.

“Are you alright?” Simon asked as the credits for the movie started to roll. He looked concerned and Jace found it surprisingly comforting.  
He forced himself to nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He stood up and said, “I should be going back the Institute.”

Simon nodded. “Thanks for joining me. We should do this more often.”

Jace grinned at the possibility. “I’d like that.” He had a sudden, inexplicable urge to kiss Simon, but he refused to act on it. As he headed outside, he leaned against the dumpster, struggling to catch his breath. What was that? When he had those urges in the past, they had always been for women. He shook his head, figuring that the whole situation was messing with his emotions. If only he knew how to fix it once and for all.


	5. Chapter 5

Izzy arrived at the Institute looking forward the mission distracting her somewhat from the dread of the talk she knew she eventually had to have with Clary. However, Clary was waiting for her when she arrived with her beaming smile that made her heart do backflips. 

“Have you heard from Jace?” Alec asked as he walked over to them.

She shook her head. “He’s probably still upset about this morning.”

Alec nodded, while Clary looked between them with a questioning look. “I’ll explain later,” Izzy promised.

They waited a couple of minutes before Alec’s phone buzzed. “Jace says he isn’t feeling well,” Alec informed them. “I guess we’ll give him his space.” He filled them in on the Intel that they had gotten from a seelie about a similar attack a couple blocks away. “I’m sending you and Clary out,” Alec said, “I have to deal with official clave business.” However, Alec gave her a small wink that told her that he was pulling out so that she could have time to talk to Clary alone. She glared at him, finally understanding how he felt all of the times she had pushed him towards Magnus before they officially got together. He just gave her a smile and mouthed, “Good luck.” 

Izzy grabbed her whip and Clary grabbed her sword as they made their way to the site of the reported attack. “So, what is your theory?” Clary asked as she held her weapon up, ready to strike at any sudden movements.

Izzy looked up from mundane lying face down in the alleyway and asked, “I’m sorry?”

“Your theory,” Clary said, “The one you wanted to talk to me about.”

Suddenly, Izzy felt her nerves overtake her senses. “Right, that one.”

Before she could say anything else, the demon leapt out of the shadows and used her temporary distraction to its advantage. It struck her down, and she turned her whip into a staff and struck back. She could feel herself bleeding where it had struck her, but she and Clary kept attacking it. Clary finally slayed it, her face grinning in triumph.

For some reason her cut wasn’t healing and Izzy felt herself losing consciousness. Clary noticed and ran to her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Izzy lied. However, her vision was going in and out of focus and the last thing she was was Clary’s beautiful, worried face looking down at her as everything went black.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jace fell into his bed upon arriving back at the Institute. He ignored Alec’s concerned questions on how he was doing, hoping that a nap might help him deal with his problems with a clear head.

Though he managed to fall asleep, he found Valentine waiting for him in his dream once again. “What do you want?” His dream self spat out.

“To help,” Valentine said.

Jace snapped back. “I don’t want your help. You killed me, remember?”

Valentine smiled. “You haven’t been the same since then, Jace, nor have your feelings for Clary.”

He shook his head. “I love her.”

“That I don’t doubt,” Valentine replied, “But you’re not in love with her.”

Jace shook his head, it couldn’t be true. Even though the real Valentine was dead, this dream version also seemed to know how to push his buttons. “Are you saying that that’s what I’m supposed to realize about myself?”

Valentine smiled and replied, “Perhaps. Or maybe it has to do with your feelings for another like it does for Isabelle.”

“For who?” Jace asked, deciding to let dream Valentine help him without anymore protests.

Valentine grinned and asked, “Perhaps the Leia to your Han? You two started on a rocky relationship that has evolved over time.”

Jace couldn’t believe what dream Valentine was implying. “Simon? But we’re just friends.”

“Think about it Jace,” Valentine said, “Your first thought this morning was not about losing Clary to Izzy, but about how Simon would feel. Your first instinct after that was to check on him. And trust me, Jace, friends don’t feel the urge to kiss their friends.”

Though his logic was sound, Jace couldn’t let him be right. “You’re wrong,” Jace declared.

Valentine simply asked, “Am I?” He disappeared into thin air as Jace felt himself being shaken.

“Jace. Jace, wake up.” Jace opened his eyes to find Alec shaking him. “It’s Izzy,” he said, “She was hurt.”

He stood up and they ran down the hall to where Izzy was lying. Clary held Izzy’s hand by her bedside, and she had clearly been crying a lot over Izzy’s injury. Jace was surprised that he no longer felt any jealousy towards Izzy.

“What happened?” Simon asked, running up to them. “Is she alright?” Jace’s heart started pounding at the sight of him and he realized that dream Valentine was right. He did have feelings for Simon and he had to tell him if he was going to ever be in his own body again.

“She’s going to be fine,” Alec assured them, “She needs rest and the medicine to take effect.”

Both Jace and Simon breathed a sigh of relief. Alec was called away and Jace and Simon sat down outside of the room. “I had a nice time today,” Jace admitted.

Simon grinned. “Me too.” His face turned serious and he asked, “Any luck on figuring out what you needed to admit.”

Jace nodded. “I think so, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Try me,” Simon replied, raising a curious eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, Jace decided to just say it. “I think my feelings for you go beyond friendship.” Simon’s eyes widened and Jace added, “I know, it surprised me too.”

Simon was uncharacteristically speechless. Jace looked away, a slight flush forming in his cheeks. “How did you realize this?” Simon finally asked.

“Today,” Jace admitted. “Watching that movie today with you, I felt happier than I had in a while. Clary and I have been drifting apart for a while now, but it took me a while to realize it.” Simon didn’t say anything and Jace continued, “I’m not expecting anything to happen, or for you to feel anything, but I guess I need to stop lying to myself.”

Simon didn’t say anything for a couple of moments. Jace sat in silence, hoping that his confession would finally reverse the switch. However, nothing happened. “Did it work?” Simon asked.

Jace shook his head, “No.”

“You’re wrong,” Simon said, “I do feel something, for you, but I think all of us need time after this freaky week is over.”

He nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”

Glancing over at where Izzy lay, he knew that he would have to wait for her to tell Clary.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izzy’s eyes flew open, and she was surprised to see that she was lying in the Institute. She felt someone holding her hand and she turned to see Clary. “How long was I out for?”

Clary jumped at the sound of her voice, but beamed upon seeing that she was awake. “Only a couple of hours,” she assured her. Placing her hand on Izzy’s forehead, she asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” Izzy said. It wasn’t a lie, at least not physically. However, she felt the weight of her secret weighing down on her. “Are we alone?”

She nodded and then said, “Alec, Jace, and Simon are waiting outside. I can tell them to give us some privacy.”

“Please,” Izzy said. Clary went outside, and Izzy worked on what she was going to say. She returned not long after and she decided to start with, “Simon and I broke up.”

Clary’s eyes widened. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Izzy looked up at Clary’s concerned expression and she hoped that her and Clary could at least stay friends after this. “My theory, that Magnus confirmed, was that Jace and I had to admit the truth that we had been hiding from ourselves.”

“What truth?” Clary asked.

Izzy found that she couldn’t look at Clary and stared up at the ceiling. “That I’ve been in love with you for quite some time.” She heard Clary gasp and she glanced over at her, seeing the bewildered look on her face.

Before Izzy could say anything else, she felt the room shake. However, Clary didn’t seem to notice as she continued staring at her. Izzy closed her eyes, hoping that it would stop.

When it finally did, she opened her eyes and saw that she had moved to outside the room where she was sitting next to Simon. Glancing down, she was thrilled that she was back in her own body. “Jace?” Simon asked next to her. “Are you okay?”

“It worked,” she said, “The switch worked.” She walked back into the room where Clary was talking to Jace. “Clary?”

Clary turned back to her and asked, “Izzy?”

Izzy nodded and Simon went over to Jace’s bedside. “Walk with me?” Clary asked, and she nodded.

They walked down the hall, through the Institute to the courtyard. Clary stopped short once they were outside and said, “Everything makes sense now.”

Izzy nodded. “Yeah.” Forcing a smile, she said, “I bet you’re happy to have Jace back, huh?” Her heart clenched at the idea of their happy reunion.

“I think he’s preoccupied with Simon,” Clary commented, “He mentioned something about it before you came back in.”

She hadn’t been expecting that, but she guessed it made sense. “Clary...” Izzy started to say, but was surprised that Clary grabbed her and kissed her. It was quick, but it was even better than their first mistaken kiss the other day.

Before Izzy could say anything, Clary explained, “When I saw you on the ground, I realized...all I wanted was to have you back. Not Jace, but you.”

Izzy felt relieved and she smiled for the first time in days. Tucking a stray hair behind Clary’s ear, she caressed her face and leaned in for another kiss. Everything was right in the world, but there was a lot they needed to get used to.


	6. Epilogue

Two Months Later:

Jace straightened his tie and checked his teeth in the mirror. He turned at a knock on his door and found Simon standing at the doorway. “Can I come in?”

“Always,” Jace said, grinning at his boyfriend of one month. A couple of weeks after his ordeal had ended, he and Simon decided to try dating. A couple of weeks after that, they became official.

Simon handed him a box of Raisinets and said, “For the show.”

Jace stuffed the box into the pocket of his suit jacket and said, “I love you.”

“I know,” Simon said with a laugh. He grinned and replied, “I love you too.”

Before Jace could reply, Magnus knocked on the door. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

They nodded and followed Magnus down to the lobby of the Institute hand in hand. Alec was already waiting for them, as well as Clary and Izzy. Both of them looked glamorous and their hands were intertwined as they talked to Alec.

Izzy and Clary smiled at them as they walked up to them, and Jace was thrilled that they had got over the initial awkwardness of the whole situation. It had taken some time, but everything had managed to work itself out. Alec had surmised that it probably wasn’t the weirdest thing that had ever happened to them, and it probably wouldn’t end up being the last weird thing. Besides, it would be a hell of a story to tell someday.

Magnus led them outside where a limo was waiting for them. He was able to pull some strings and get some really good seats to a mundane broadway show. Jace and Izzy had never been to one, and Alec only started going to shows with Magnus after they started dating.

After climbing into the limo, Magnus poured them all champagne with the flick of his wrist. Raising his own glass, he toasted, “To a splendid evening.”

The rest toasted and drank in response. “What’s the name of the show we’re seeing?” Jace asked.

Magnus and Alec looked at each other, both of them seemed to be holding back their laughter. Trying to keep a straight face, Magnus said, “It’s an adaptation of a movie we feel you’ll all enjoy. Freaky Friday.”

Jace started cursing as Magnus and Alec were unable to contain their laughter. He glanced over at Simon who said, “It should be interesting, at the very least.”

That it would be. Not long after they arrived at the theater and Magnus handed their tickets to the usher. He led them to their seats, and saw that Magnus had reserved an entire balcony for them. After they took their seats, the group talked until the house lights went down. Simon grabbed his hand as the show began.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cast took a bow to thunderous applause at the end of the show and Izzy glanced at Clary. “What did you think?”

“It was good,” she replied, “But I think it lacked the drama of another body swap story I know of.”

Izzy laughed. “Well, when you put it that way.” It had taken less time that she had thought to readjust once she and Jace returned to their normal bodies. She and Clary started dating pretty quickly afterwards, and Jace and Simon finally went on their first date not long after. Though the whole thing had been a curse, it almost felt like a blessing as well.

Clary took her hand as they joined the crowd as they exited the theater. Magnus found their limo and they piled back in. They drank the rest of the champagne left over from the ride over and talked about the play, which had been a musical for some reason. Even Jace, who had been the biggest protester on the way there, seemed to have enjoyed it.

The limo pulled up in front of the Institute, and everyone except Alec and Magnus got out, as they planned to return to the loft for the evening. Clary and Izzy said goodbye to Jace and Simon, as the two couples separate and went to Izzy and Jace’s room respectively.

Once Izzy closed the door, Clary kissed her with a fervor that she never had before. Izzy wrapped her arms around her and smiled into the kiss. “Not that I’m complaining,” Izzy said, “But what was that for?”

“I really love you,” Clary said.

Izzy grinned. “I love you, too.” She led her to the bed and sat her down on it like she had many times to comfort her when they were just friends. It felt like such a long time ago.

They climbed onto the bed and Clary lay on top of her. They resumed kissing, and Izzy felt like she was in heaven with just kissing her.

Clary, however, had other ideas. She pulled away suddenly and said, “I’m ready.”

“You’re sure?” Izzy asked, knowing that Clary had been debating taking the next step for the past couple of weeks.

She nodded. “I am.”

Izzy beamed and kissed her again. “Alright.” She could tell that Clary still looked nervous and assured her, “I promise I’ll be gentle.” Though she knew that neither of them were virgins, she knew that this was Clary’s first time with a woman, and Izzy hoped that she could make it special for her.

She stood up and locked the door before she forgot. They didn’t need any interruptions tonight. Reaching behind her, she unzipped the back of the dress and let it fall to the floor. She helped Clary with her dress and kissed her again. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Clary joked. They finished undressing and Izzy looked at Clary’s bright, lust filled eyes as her excitement grew for a night that she hoped neither of them would forget.


End file.
